NORTH BATTLEFORD – A Pelican Lake First Nation man who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of a 54-year-old British Columbia man is expected to be sentenced on July 12. He was in North Battleford Provincial Court May 2 for Crown and defence counsel sentencing arguments.
A preliminary hearing for Walter Jack Abbott, now 63, was previously scheduled to start in North Battleford Provincial Court on Jan. 23, 2023, on a charge of second-degree murder but the Crown amended the charge to manslaughter. The matter was then adjourned to a later date for sentencing.
According to police, at approximately 8:30 a.m., on Sept. 17, 2021, Spiritwood RCMP received a report of a deceased man at a home on Pelican Lake First Nation. Officers and EMS responded and the man was declared deceased at the scene. Police didn’t release the victim’s name but said the victim and the accused were known to each other.
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